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THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2013
Volume 12 Issue 142
Santa Monica Daily Press
THE SKINNY ON EVENTS SEE PAGE 2
We have you covered
THE EXTRA, EXTRA ISSUE
City arborist alleges abuse of public funds BY KEVIN HERRERA & ASHLEY ARCHIBALD Daily Press Staff Writers
CITY HALL A City Hall employee in charge Photo courtesy Robin Beaudry UP CLOSE: The city arborist says that this tree on 22nd Street suffers from stem girdling roots.
of supervising Santa Monica’s urban forest fired off a complaint to the District Attorney’s Office Monday alleging waste,
fraud and abuse of public funds associated with a multi-million dollar contract with West Coast Arborists. Robin Beaudry, who has been employed by City Hall since late 2012, said West Coast Arborists, which has been awarded $13.4 million in contracts to plant, prune and replace trees in Santa Monica since 2001,
Brown rallies support for new plan on school-funding
SEE COMPLAINT PAGE 7
Council moves to ease rules on fitness classes BY ASHLEY ARCHIBALD Daily Press Staff Writer
JUDY LIN Associated Press
SACRAMENTO, Calif. Standing with school leaders from San Diego County to Shasta County, Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday called his education funding plan a civil rights “cause for the children of California” as he tries to persuade reluctant members of his own party to include his proposal in the upcoming state budget. The Democratic governor wants to give school districts more control of the money they receive from the state and provide poorer districts with a larger share of state aid. Brown is running into resistance from his own party, including lawmakers who represent affluent areas that would not gain as much under his plan. Democrats in the state Senate plan to propose an alternative that does not include extra money for districts where more than half of students are low-income. “This is a matter of equity and civil rights,” Brown said at a news conference. “If people want to fight it, they’re going to get the battle of their lives because I’m not going to give up until the last hour.” Brown is expected to update his budget proposal in mid-May and lawmakers have until June 15 to adopt a balanced budget. Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan, D-
allegedly provided trees that had critical root defects and excessively and aggressively pruned them, leading to premature death. Beaudry also said that city officials dismissed his concerns and went so far as to
JAM SESSION
Daniel Archuleta daniela@smdp.com Students from New Roads get a free music lesson at McCabe's Guitar Shop on Wednesday. The lesson and tour were offered by McCabe's to help expose kids to music.
SEE SCHOOLS PAGE 11
CITY HALL The City Council moved to loosen proposed restrictions on private exercise instruction in public parks Tuesday night by allowing limited group training and heavier equipment in some parks and charging less for the privilege. The council requested that city officials return with an ordinance that would leave the door open to some group exercise in historic Palisades Park, as well as allowing weights heavier than 25 pounds in Clover Park and the beach. Additionally, trainers would only have to pay 10 percent of their gross revenues to City Hall rather than the 15 percent proposed by city officials. The vote brought applause from some in the council chambers, which had been full of trainers and their clients asking for the right to continue exercising in Palisades Park and with little restriction in other areas. The Santa Monica Outdoor Fitness Coalition, which is comprised of fitness trainers, released a statement saying they were “grateful for the courage the … City Council exhibited … .” “It's clear from the enormous amount of public comments in support of fitness training in our public parks, and the support of the majority of City Council members, that there is a balance that can be struck to ensure fair and equitable use of these unique spaces for group fitness, contemplation, SEE FITNESS PAGE 11
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